Equinor Energy ASA has plugged an appraisal well for the 35/11-23 oil and gas discovery near Fram field in the North Sea. The well is dry.
Well 35/11-23 A was drilled in the northern part of the North Sea 3km southwest of Fram field and 120 km northwest of Bergen by the Deepsea Atlantic to a vertical depth of 2,629 m and a measured depth of 2,853 m subsea. It was terminated in the Viking Group in the Upper-Middle Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 350 m.
The objective of the appraisal well was to delineate the discovery in the primary exploration target and to determine the ratio between oil and gas. In November the discovery was proven in two sandstone intervals in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Sognefjord formation), as well as in the secondary exploration target in the Brent Group (OGJ Online, Nov. 18, 2019). The appraisal well was not drilled down to secondary exploration target.
The well encountered water in both sandstone intervals in the Sognefjord formation. The uppermost has sandstone layers of about 40 m with reservoir quality varying from good to very good, as in the 35/11-23 discovery well. The oil-water contact was proven on the basis of pressure data. The other sandstone interval has sandstone layers of about 30 m with good to very good reservoir quality.
Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery at 7-16 million standard cu m of recoverable oil equivalent. The licensees will consider tying the discovery into existing infrastructure in the Troll-Fram area.
The Viking Group in the Upper Jurassic was examined more closely in the appraisal well since there were indications of hydrocarbons in a sandstone layer at this level in the 35/11-23 discovery well. A sandstone layer about 10 m thickness was encountered in the appraisal well, but this was cemented and tight.
The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
This is the 17th exploration well in production license 090.
The Deepsea Atlantic will now drill production wells on Snøhvit field in production license 064 in the Barents Sea, where Equinor Energy AS is operator.
